Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 8, Number 5, 1 May 1991 — Contest for healthy eating [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Contest for healthy eating

The Great Hawaiian Plate Luneh Challenae

by Maleolm Chun Office of Hawaiian Health What we consider basic Hawaiian food, kalua pig, laulau, and the like were "feast foods" in earlier days of Hawai'i, not everyday fare. Traditional Hawaiian hospitality demanded that food be prepared for visitors, and what was offered was not ordinary, day-to-day food; it was the best, pigs, ehieken and specialties. There was no refrigeration, so all feast foods had to be eaten on the spot. But if overindulgence was the norm for a feast, it wasn't the norm of everyday life. Everyday foods were not as rich or fatty. In comparison, everyday foods like fish and vegetables were more abundant, eeonomieal and easier to catch. It was more difficult to raise a pig or ehieken. Today, Hawaiian foods tend to be what were onee rich feast foods and are often eaten every day. In doing so people are putting their health at risk. To promote a healthier attitude toward eating in line with traditional Hawaiian ways, the Department of Health's O'ahu Native Hawaiian Health Task Force and the Office of Hawaiian Health in cooperation with the Department's Nutrition branch are planning "The Great Hawaiian Plate Luneh Challenge." This challenge is being made to encourage restaurants and caterers to design and create an affordable, tasty and nutritious Hawaiian plate luneh. The plate lunches should incorporate current recommendations of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, using traditional and modified foods and recipes. This challenge ties in with King Kamehameha Day festivities on June 8. In light of the increased awareness of the healthful benefits of adding fiber and decreasing fat and sodium to the daily diet, this challenge is timely and could spawn a highly marketable product. The event will promote better health for Native Hawaiians. There will be displays of traditiona! Hawaiian foods and health practices in keeping with the theme of King Kamehameha Day "Imi Na'auao" (to seek knowledge or education). The Great Hawaiian Plate Luneh Challenge Guidelines for Participants: The goal of this challenge is to encourage the creation of an affordable, tasty and nutritious Hawaiian plate luneh that incorporates current recommendations of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, utilizing traditional and modified foods and recipes, and to promote a healtheir attitude towards eating in line with traditional Native Hawaiian ways. Those considering participating need to "design and create" a Hawaiian plate luneh that is: Hiah in carbohydrates (containing50 percent complex carbohydrates, such as poi, 'ulua (sweet potato), kalo (taro), and ulu (breadfruit); protein (fish, poultry or meat portion up to 3 oz. per serving); moderate salt/sodium (uses less salt or shoyu or no monosodium glutamate); moderate sugar (uses less sugar, honey or other sweet ingredients); low fat (less than 2 tsp. fats or oils per serving such as margarine, salad dressing, gravy, or oil in cooking; fats and poultry skin ean be trimmed off from meats); high fiber (vegetables and fruits); and cooking methods whieh emphasize steaming (hakui), baking (kalua), broiling (pulehu or lawalu) and boiling (puholo). Entries should be tasty ('ono), have variety, and be well presented in arrangement and appearance of foods, colors and use of natural decoration. Foods should be served on either a round or rectangular plate and eaeh entry should cost (retail) $3.50 to $5. Judging: Several finalist awards will be given for a

category of "best" (e.g., nutritious, tasty, traditional, etc.,) with an overall prize selected from these finalist categories. Judges have been selected from sponsoring agencies, Native Hawaiian aqencies and community, and from the food industry. An announcement and the giving of awards will be done directly after the judging has ended. Deadlines: Entry forms should be obtained from the Nutrition Branch, Department of Health, P.O. Box 3378, Honolulu, Hawai'i 96801. Forms must be submitted no later than May 13 (Monday), and recipes (ingredients and portions) need to be received by the Nutrition Branch no later than May 27 (Monday) for eompluina with the U.S.

Dietary Guidelines. The Great Hawaiian Plate Luneh Challenge will be held at Kapiolani Park Bandstand on Sat. June 8 following the Kamehameha Day Parade festivities. Contestants should plan to drop off their entries and set up between 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Judging will take plaee between 11:45 - 12:30 p.m. with the award ceremony at 1 p.m. The public will be invited to view the entriesfrom 1:15 to 2:30 p.m. There will be cash prizes, trophies and printed certificates for winning entries. Winning entries may be part of a healthy nutrition campaign by the Department of Health after the contest.

"The goaI is to encourage the creation of an affordable, tasty and nutritious Hawaiian plate luneh . . . and to

promote a healthier attitude towards eating in line with traditional Native Hawaiian ways."